Patient handoffs: is cross cover or night shift better?

Higgins A, Brannen ML, Heiman HL, Adler MD. J Patient Saf. 2017;13:88-92.

Duty-hours restrictions have led to an increase in handoffs. This study compared handoffs delivered by overnight cross-covering residents to dedicated night-shift residents' handoffs. Investigators found no differences in information consistency across handoff types, which they conclude is reassuring evidence that limiting resident duty hours did not worsen handoff quality.

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